Naz Smyth

George Weah, former national soccer champion, was sworn in Monday, January 22nd, as the new president of Liberia. In what was the first peaceful transition of power in decades, the Liberian people chose Weah over former vice-president Joseph Boakai. The political race was tense, with President Ellen Sirleaf’s support of Weah over her vice president resulting in expulsion from her own political party. more details on  www.nazsmyth.co.uk/2018/01/weekly-news/

Recently, the biggest names in economics gathered together for their annual conference. The primary theme? Women, or more specifically lack thereof. The Economist covers one of the more interesting topics. University of Liverpool’s Erin Hengel spoke on why women may be publishing fewer papers than men. In her study, abstracts of 2,000 papers were judged by readability. She found women and men score about the same for their first published paper. However, as careers progress, the readability scores for women’s articles go up. The scores for men stay about the same. The conclusion reached was that women are made to improve their articles over time. Men are not. more on www.nazsmyth.co.uk/2018/01/gender-standards/

Although these women probably fare better in Canada than they would from wince they came, there can be many unpleasant consequences. The first is in instances of domestic abuse. Unfortunately, many of these women are not technically wives. Therefore, they may or may not have been able to attain citizenship.  Full Article on my website www.nazsmyth.co.uk 

Two of the most interesting events this week were centered around women. The first major event was a summit put on by Women Political Leaders. Silvana Koch-Mehrin, a female member of the European Parliament, founded this group. According to the New York Times , the conference featured “the largest ever gathering of female political leaders”. The second interesting story is about 2 new books. They both take a scathing view on the current political climate in Britain. Although described by the Economist as “depressing”, these two stories give a realistic look into British life today. Additionally, both lament Theresa May’s actions in the aftermath of Brexit. continue reading at www.nazsmyth.co.uk 

Last Saturday,  the United States Senate passed the Tax Cut (TCJA) and Jobs Act, a sweeping tax reform that leaves little in the current code untouched.  The $1.5 trillion bill was passed in a 51-49 vote, with sole support coming from the senate’s Republican majority. read more at www.nazsmyth.co.uk 

In light of the recent allegations against Harvey Weinstein and other Hollywood powerhouses such as Ben Affleck and Casey Affleck , one cannot avoid a media story regarding sexual harassment in the workplace.  The recent lawsuits and allegations from more than fifty Hollywood actresses against Weinstein have brought this deep-rooted problem to the front burner. More than ever women feel emboldened to put a stop to their harassment, but many do still feel fear of  retaliation.  Sometimes it is not as simple as coming forward.  Many small businesses do not have a Human Resources Department.  Sometimes the offender is the one and only boss and owner of the business.  Nevertheless, there are avenues that women can explore to protect themselves and their livelihood. continue this article at  http://www.nazsmyth.co.uk/2017/10/sexual-harassment-work/

Race Discrimination in Women’s Soccer Leads to “Hush-Money” Deal Investigation by the Football Association finds no wrong-doing The midfielders for the England female soccer team gather with their team manager. In the meeting, the manager makes a comparison to pressing hard on the field (putting pressure on your opponent that has the ball) and getting a caution (getting a yellow or red card). The manager compares the caution to a police caution, to which he turns to one of the players. To which the manger asked the mixed-race player, “Haven’t you been arrested before? Four times isn’t it?” This remark catalyzed Eniola Aluko to write an eight-page complaint against the manager. A racial remark like this was not the first. Anti-discrimination group have called for the transparency with this case including why the FA has tried so hard to keep it quiet. full article  at www.nazsmyth.co.uk

It all began with the blanket of night and a mob like group descending through the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.  The scene was reminiscent of a movie. This, however, was only the beginning. On August 11, a group of white supremacist and Ku Klux Klan members wielding torches and khaki shorts.  Alt-right as they are being called was led by the leader Jason Kessler . The march began on campus and ended at the statue of Thomas Jefferson where they were clashed with counter-protestors made up of mostly students.  Some students were also protesting the racist groups who were in town for a bigger rally the following day. more about this on www.nazsmyth.co.uk